Page 103 – Wisconsin Life

Photographer Kevin Miyazaki spent 13 days driving the 1800-mile perimeter of Lake Michigan. He stayed off the major highways and as close to the lake as possible to capture the faces of the people who live on, with, or near this vast body of water.

Breaking Into Stand-Up Comedy
Gallery
Breaking Into Stand-Up Comedy

The Arts

Breaking Into Stand-Up Comedy

Editor’s Note: Many people believe that anyone with a mouth can be a stand-up comedian. But standing on a stage in front of a crowd to prove how funny you are is much harder than it looks.

Alma Man Collects And Displays Armor And Old Weaponry In His Museum
Gallery
Alma Man Collects And Displays Armor And Old Weaponry In His Museum

Culture & History

Alma Man Collects And Displays Armor And Old Weaponry In His Museum

When Gary Schlosstein was ten years old, he bought a Civil War musket on a family trip to Winona, Minn. The century-old gun cost $5. Once he grew up and began a legal career, Gary spent his spare time traveling the world to study and collect historical arms and armor.

Woman Brings Musical Theater To The Northwoods
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Woman Brings Musical Theater To The Northwoods

The Arts

Woman Brings Musical Theater To The Northwoods

When Kathy Blomberg was a child, summers meant trips to North-central Wisconsin. “We came up every summer … my grandmother lived up here” Blomberg said. “My dad was a Chicago firefighter, and the day we got out of school, we came up to Wisconsin.

Winter’s Four-Letter Word
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Winter’s Four-Letter Word

Science & Nature

Winter’s Four-Letter Word

Editor’s Note: Love it or hate it, winter is unavoidable in Wisconsin. Commentator Wendy Lutzke learned to embrace the season and urges you to do the same. The dictionary defines the four-letter word snow as “solid precipitation in the form of white or translucent ice crystals of various shapes.”

Topographical Textiles
Gallery
Topographical Textiles

The Arts

Topographical Textiles

Quilting may be centuries old but artist Leah Evans makes quilts that are far from traditional. Inspired by maps, aerial photography, satellite imagery, and microbial images, Evans creates textiles that explore the relationship between people and the environment.

Journey To The Center Of Wisconsin
Gallery
Journey To The Center Of Wisconsin

Culture & History

Journey To The Center Of Wisconsin

Editor’s Note: Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth is a classic work of 19th century science fiction. After writer Alex Bledsoe shared the story with his son, the two found a local way to get inside the earth.

A Winter Childhood
Gallery
A Winter Childhood

Culture & History

A Winter Childhood

Editor’s Note: Snow and cold trigger warm memories for Crystal Chan. Now living in Chicago, she recalls what winter meant during a Wisconsin childhood and how she tries to recapture that now.

A Wisconsin Bar on a Minnesota Road
Gallery
A Wisconsin Bar on a Minnesota Road

Food & Travel

A Wisconsin Bar on a Minnesota Road

The Wabegon Bar in Superior is firmly in Wisconsin. But you can only get there from Minnesota. Rich Kremer went to visit this bar with two ZIP codes.

Church Supper
Gallery
Church Supper

Culture & History

Church Supper

Editor’s Note: Wisconsin’s calendar is filled year ‘round with Lutheran lutefisk dinners, Catholic fish fries, and other church-sponsored meals. These events serve as fundraisers and as carriers of community identity and tradition.

Church of Football
Gallery
Church of Football

Culture & History

Church of Football

Packers’ game days are arguably among the most holy days on the calendar in Wisconsin. At least that’s how it played out in writer Julie Buckles’ family where football brought the family together like little else could.

First Rehearsal
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First Rehearsal

The Arts

First Rehearsal

It’s hard to know what events – what little moments – will change your life. Marie Kohler discovered her passion for the theater at the urging of her mother.

Skating Backwards
Gallery
Skating Backwards

Sports

Skating Backwards

Editor’s Note: Ice skating is one of the pleasures of winter. Many neighborhoods have their own rinks. Writer John Hildebrand tells us about learning to skate backwards. Last year the city announced it was mothballing most of the neighborhood ice skating rinks.

Horse Crazy
Gallery
Horse Crazy

Science & Nature

Horse Crazy

Editor’s Note: Many young kids are crazy for horses. Writer Julie Buckles was no different. Today, she tells us about her family’s horsey history. As a girl, I was crazy for horses.

Veteran Cranberry Farmer
Gallery
Veteran Cranberry Farmer

Food & Travel

Veteran Cranberry Farmer

Wisconsin is the country’s largest producer of cranberries, and most of those are grown in the Northwoods. Emily Bright visited one of those cranberry marshes before the harvest in August where she met a military veteran-turned-cranberry grower.